Information processing apparatus, information processing method, and program

ABSTRACT

Provided is an information processing apparatus including an operation detection unit configured to detect a user&#39;s operation, and a display control unit configured to display content in a part including a middle of a display screen and display thumbnails corresponding to content belonging to one category in one direction along one side of the display screen in a region located separately from the middle of the display screen. The display control unit moves the displayed thumbnails in a vertical direction with respect to the one direction according to an operation which is detected by the operation detection unit and is an operation of switching the one category to which the content corresponding to the displayed thumbnails belongs.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 14/570,186, filed on Dec. 15, 2014, which claims the benefit ofJapanese Priority Patent Application No. JP2013-270051, filed on Dec.26, 2013, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated herein byreference.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates to an information processing apparatus,an information processing method, and a program.

In recent years, with the development of information communicationtechnologies, display apparatuses displaying content acquired throughcommunication have been developed and become generally widespread. Forexample, television receivers acquiring content from servers via theInternet or the like and displaying the acquired content can beexemplified.

The above-mentioned display apparatuses generally display a content listor the like so that users can select content to be displayed among theacquired content. For example, “BRAVIA electronic manual, the Internet(URL:http://www.sony.jp/support/tv/i-manual/x9200a/jpn/c_selchl_zapui.html)”discloses a television receiver that displays a list of displayablecontent and displays selected content.

SUMMARY

However, since there is a large amount of content obtainable via theInternet or the like, it is difficult to increase the amount of contentcorresponding to a content list displayed for retrieval withoutinterfering with display of content currently being viewed for thepurpose of retrieving content to be subsequently displayed while viewingthe current content. For this reason, users sometimes performcomplicated operations while taking some time to search for contentwhich the users desire to display.

It is desirable to provide a novel and improved information processingapparatus, a novel and improved information processing method, and anovel and improved program so that users can efficiently retrievecontent.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, there is providedan information processing apparatus including an operation detectionunit configured to detect a user's operation, and a display control unitconfigured to display content in a part including a middle of a displayscreen and display thumbnails corresponding to content belonging to onecategory in one direction along one side of the display screen in aregion located separately from the middle of the display screen. Thedisplay control unit moves the displayed thumbnails in a verticaldirection with respect to the one direction according to an operationwhich is detected by the operation detection unit and is an operation ofswitching the one category to which the content corresponding to thedisplayed thumbnails belongs.

According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, there isprovided an information processing method including detecting a user'soperation, displaying content in a part including a middle of a displayscreen, displaying thumbnails corresponding to content belonging to onecategory in one direction along one side of the display screen in aregion located separately from the middle of the display screen, andmoving the displayed thumbnails in a vertical direction with respect tothe one direction according to a detected operation of switching the onecategory to which the content corresponding to the displayed thumbnailsbelongs.

According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, there isprovided a program causing a computer to realize an operation detectionfunction of detecting a user's operation, and a display control functionof displaying content in a part including a middle of a display screen,displaying thumbnails corresponding to content belonging to one categoryin one direction along one side of the display screen in a regionlocated separately from the middle of the display screen, and moving thedisplayed thumbnails in a vertical direction with respect to the onedirection according to an operation which is detected by the operationdetection function and is an operation of switching the one category towhich the content corresponding to the displayed thumbnails belongs.

According to embodiments of the present disclosure described above,there are provided an information processing apparatus, an informationprocessing method, and a program capable of automatically selecting animaging apparatus to be controlled. The foregoing advantageous effectsare not necessarily restrictive, but any advantageous effect desired tobe obtained in the present specification or other advantageous effectsunderstood from the present specification may be obtained along with theforegoing advantageous effects or instead of the foregoing advantageouseffects.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram for describing an overview of an informationprocessing apparatus according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic functionalconfiguration of the information processing apparatus according to anembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is an image diagram for describing an example of a thumbnaildisplay process of the information processing apparatus according to theembodiment;

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating focus display for thumbnails of theinformation processing apparatus according to the embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating scrolling of the thumbnails of theinformation processing apparatus according to the embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart conceptually illustrating a process of theinformation processing apparatus according to the embodiment;

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating group display in the informationprocessing apparatus according to a first modification example of thepresent embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating emphasized display of a group name inthe information processing apparatus according to a second modificationexample of the present embodiment;

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a change in the displayof thumbnails at the time of switching of a category in the informationprocessing apparatus according to a third modification example of thepresent embodiment;

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a change in the displayof the thumbnails at the time of scrolling in the information processingapparatus according to a fourth modification example of the presentembodiment;

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a change in display atthe time of initial display of the thumbnails in the informationprocessing apparatus according to a fifth modification example of thepresent embodiment;

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating another example of a change in thedisplay at the time of the initial display of the thumbnails in theinformation processing apparatus according to a sixth modificationexample of the present embodiment;

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a change in the displayof the thumbnails through selection of a list of categories in theinformation processing apparatus according to a seventh modificationexample of the present embodiment; and

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing a hardware configuration ofthe information processing apparatus according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will bedescribed in detail with reference to the appended drawings. Note that,in this specification and the appended drawings, structural elementsthat have substantially the same function and structure are denoted withthe same reference numerals, and repeated explanation of thesestructural elements is omitted.

The description will be made in the following order.

-   -   1. Overview of information processing apparatus according to        embodiment of the present disclosure    -   2. Embodiment of the present disclosure        -   2-1. Configuration of information processing apparatus            according to embodiment        -   2-2. Process of information processing apparatus according            to embodiment        -   2-3. Modification examples of embodiment    -   3. Hardware configuration of information processing apparatus        according to embodiment of present disclosure    -   4. Conclusion

1. OVERVIEW OF INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS ACCORDING TO EMBODIMENTOF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE

First, an overview of an information processing apparatus according toan embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with referenceto FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a diagram for describing the overview of theinformation processing apparatus according to the embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

An information processing apparatus 100 includes a display unit 112 anddisplays content on the display unit 112. The information processingapparatus 100 displays objects used to select content displayed on thedisplay unit 112 on the display unit 112. For example, the objects canbe thumbnails corresponding to the content. Therefore, the informationprocessing apparatus 100 can display the thumbnails while displaying thecontent.

For example, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the information processingapparatus 100 can display the content on the display unit 112 anddisplay thumbnails A to E used to select content to be displayed in asuperimposed manner.

Here, when there are a plurality of pieces of display target content,the number of thumbnails to be displayed increases according to thenumber of pieces of content. When the number of thumbnails increases, auser performs a complicated operation such as an operation of confirmingthe thumbnails one by one to retrieve content which the user desires toview. On the other hand, when display of content being reproduced ishidden to retrieve the content, convenience for the user may beimpaired. Accordingly, the information processing apparatus 100determines a category to which display target content belongs anddisplays thumbnails (hereinafter also referred to as thumbnailscorresponding to a category) corresponding to the content belonging toone category, while the content being reproduced is displayed. Further,the information processing apparatus 100 switches one category to whichthe content corresponding to the thumbnails to be displayed belongsaccording to a user's operation.

For example, the information processing apparatus 100 displaysthumbnails A to E belonging to one certain category (“Category 1”). Whenthe user performs an operation of switching a category, the informationprocessing apparatus 100 displays the thumbnails corresponding to thecontent belonging to the category “Category 1” being displayed andthumbnails of content belonging to a switching destination category.

Thus, the information processing apparatus 100 according to theembodiment of the present disclosure displays the thumbnailscorresponding to the content belonging to the one category, whiledisplaying the content, and switches the one category to which thecontent corresponding to the thumbnails being displayed belongsaccording to the user's operation. Therefore, the user can confirm thethumbnails corresponding to the content according to a category withouthis or her convenience being impaired, and thus efficient contentretrieval is possible. In FIG. 1, a television receiver is illustratedas an example of the information processing apparatus 100. However, theinformation processing apparatus 100 may be a tablet terminal, apersonal computer, or the like.

2. EMBODIMENT OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE 2-1. Configuration ofInformation Processing Apparatus According to Embodiment

The overview of the information processing apparatus 100 according tothe embodiment of the present disclosure has been described above. Next,the configuration of the information processing apparatus 100 accordingto the embodiment of the present disclosure will be described withreference to FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a schematicfunctional configuration of the information processing apparatus 100according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the information processing apparatus 100includes a controller communication unit 102, an operation detectionunit 104, a server communication unit 106, a category determination unit108, a display control unit 110, and a display unit 112.

The controller communication unit 102 communicates with a remotecontroller 200 which is operated by the user. Specifically, thecontroller communication unit 102 receives operation information whichis information regarding the information processing apparatus 100 and istransmitted from the remote controller 200. For example, the controllercommunication unit 102 can communicate with the remote controller 200using short range wireless communication such as infrared rays,Bluetooth (registered trademark), or WiFi (registered trademark). Theremote controller 200 can be a touch pad type or button type remotecontroller.

The operation detection unit 104 detects operation details on theinformation processing apparatus 100. Specifically, the operationdetection unit 104 detects operation details based on the operationinformation which is the information regarding the informationprocessing apparatus 100 and is received by the controller communicationunit 102.

The server communication unit 106 communicates with a content server 300that delivers content. Specifically, the server communication unit 106acquires display target content and content information from the contentserver 300 through communication. The content information can includetext information indicating an overview or the like of the content,category information to which the content belongs, and thumbnails. Thecontent server 300 delivers content corresponding to an acquisitionrequest from the server communication unit 106.

The category determination unit 108 determines a category to which thecontent acquired by the server communication unit 106 belongs.Specifically, the category determination unit 108 determines a categoryto which the content belongs with reference to the category included inthe content information acquired along with the content by the servercommunication unit 106. For example, the category can be currentbroadcast progress, favorites, terrestrial digital television broadcast,moving-image delivery from the Internet, or the like.

The display control unit 110 causes the display unit 112 to display thecontent and thumbnails corresponding to reproducible content accordingto a user's operation. Specifically, when the operation detection unit104 detects a content display operation, the display control unit 110displays content using the entire display screen of the display unit 112as a display region. When a thumbnail display operation is detected bythe operation detection unit 104, the display control unit 110 displaysthumbnails of content belonging to one category so that the thumbnailsare superimposed on the content being displayed. When the operationdetection unit 104 detects a category switching operation, the displaycontrol unit 110 moves the thumbnails being displayed in a verticaldirection with respect to an arrangement direction of the thumbnails andchanges thumbnails to be displayed to thumbnails of content belonging toa switching destination category. The foregoing thumbnail displayprocess will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 3. FIG. 3 isan image diagram for describing an example of a thumbnail displayprocess of the information processing apparatus 100 according to theembodiment.

(Thumbnail Display Process)

First, when the user performs a thumbnail display operation, the displaycontrol unit 110 acquires thumbnails of content belonging to onecategory set in initial display. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 3,when the thumbnail display operation is detected by the operationdetection unit 104, the category determination unit 108 determines acategory with reference to the category information included in thecontent information and specifies content belonging to the category“Category 1”. Then, the display control unit 110 acquires thumbnails 1Ato 1D of the specified content from the content information.

Next, the display control unit 110 causes the display unit 112 todisplay a category name and the acquired thumbnails. For example, asillustrated in FIG. 3, the display control unit 110 can cause thedisplay unit 112 to display the category name “Category 1” and theacquired thumbnails 1A to 1D of the content belonging to the category“Category 1”.

Next, when the user performs a category switching operation, the displaycontrol unit 110 acquires thumbnails of content belonging to a switchingdestination category. For example, when the operation detection unit 104detects an operation of switching the category to a subsequent category“Category 2” illustrated in FIG. 3, the category determination unit 108determines a category with reference to the category information andspecifies content belonging to the category “Category 2.” Then, thedisplay control unit 110 acquires thumbnails 2A to 2C of the specifiedcontent from the content information.

The display control unit 110 switches the category name and thethumbnails to be displayed to the switching destination category nameand the acquired thumbnails of the content belonging to the switchingdestination category. For example, the display control unit 110 can movethe thumbnails 1A to 1D of the content belonging to the category“Category 1” illustrated in FIG. 3 to the middle of the screen to erasethese thumbnails from the display screen and cause the display unit 112to display the acquired thumbnails 2A to 2C of the content belonging tothe category “Category 2” shown below the category “Category 1” of FIG.3.

The thumbnail display operation and the category switching operation canbe, for example, flicking operations in the touch pad type remotecontroller 200 or operations of pressing category switching buttons inthe button type remote controller 200. For example, when the thumbnailsare displayed as in FIG. 3, the display control unit 110 displays thethumbnails 1A to 1D corresponding to the content belonging to thecategory “Category 1” through an upward flicking operation on the touchpad type remote controller 200. When an upward flicking operation isfurther performed, the display control unit 110 switches the category tothe category “Category 2” and displays the thumbnails 2A to 2C. When thethumbnails 2A to 2C are displayed and a downward flicking operation isperformed in this state, the display control unit 110 switches thecategory to the immediately previous category “Category 1”. Whenthumbnails set as initial display are displayed and a thumbnail displayoperation is performed in this state, the display control unit 110 endsthe display of the thumbnails. For example, when the thumbnails aredisplayed as in FIG. 3 and a downward flicking operation is performed inthe display state of the thumbnails 1A to 1D corresponding to thecontent belonging to the category “Category 1”, the display control unit110 ends the display of the thumbnails.

(Display Region of Thumbnails)

The display control unit 110 displays the thumbnails in a narrow regionin the display screen. Specifically, the display control unit 110displays the thumbnails in one direction along one side of the displayscreen in a region which is a region located distant from the middle ofthe display screen and is a smaller region than a display region of thecontent displayed on the display screen. For example, as illustrated inFIG. 1, the display control unit 110 can display the thumbnails A to Ein the horizontal direction along the lower side of the display screenin a region which is a region located below the middle of the displayscreen and is a smaller region than the display region of the contentdisplayed on the display screen. Therefore, it is possible to displaythe thumbnails without interfering with the display of the content beingreproduced.

(Focus Display of Thumbnail)

The display control unit 110 performs display to clearly show a selectedthumbnail. Specifically, the display control unit 110 brings a thumbnailinto focus closer to a display position of an operation object moved onthe display screen according to a user's operation than the otherthumbnails. For example, focus display of a thumbnail will be describedwith reference to FIG. 4. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating focus displayfor thumbnails of the information processing apparatus 100 according tothe embodiment.

The display control unit 110 brings a thumbnail into focus 20 closer toa display position of an operation object, e.g., a cursor, than theother thumbnails. For example, as illustrated in the left drawing ofFIG. 4, the display control unit 110 brings the thumbnail 1C into focus20 closer to the display position of the cursor 10 than the otherthumbnails, among the displayed thumbnails 1A to 1D. As illustrated inthe right drawing of FIG. 4, the display control unit 110 brings thethumbnail 1B into focus 20 when the display position of the cursor 10 ischanged and the thumbnail closer to the display position of the cursor10 than the other thumbnails is changed to the thumbnail 1B. Therefore,since the user can select the thumbnail brought into focus 20 whileconfirming the display position of the cursor 10, it is possible toimprove operability. In FIG. 4, the focus 20 is expressed by displayingthe frame of the thumbnail thicker than those of the other thumbnails,but an embodiment of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Thefocus 20 can be expressed by allowing the luminance of the frame of thethumbnail to be higher than that of the other thumbnails or allowing thecolor of the frame of the thumbnail to be different from those of theother thumbnails.

The example in which the display of the focus 20 is performed based onthe display position of the cursor 10 has been described above. However,the display of the focus 20 may be changed based on a movement amount ofan operator detected by the operation detection unit 104. Specifically,when a movement amount of an operator detected by the operationdetection unit 104 exceeds a predetermined amount, the display controlunit 110 brings a thumbnail into focus 20 adjacent to the thumbnailbrought into focus 20 in a movement direction of the operator of thethumbnail. For example, when a movement amount of a finger touching anoperation surface of the touch pad type remote controller 200 exceeds apredetermined amount, the display control unit 110 moves the focus 20 toa thumbnail adjacent to the thumbnail brought into focus 20 in amovement direction of the finger. Therefore, the thumbnail brought intofocus 20 can be changed without displaying the operation object such asthe cursor 10. The display of the focus 20 may be changed by pressing abutton of the remote controller 200.

(Scrolling of Thumbnails)

The display control unit 110 performs scrolling of the thumbnailsaccording to a user's operation. Specifically, the display control unit110 displays an operation object, e.g., the cursor 10, moving on thedisplay screen according to a user's operation. When an operation ofplacing the cursor 10 at an end region of the display screen in ascrolling direction is performed, the thumbnails of a categorycorresponding to the displayed thumbnail are scrolled. For example, athumbnail scrolling process will be described with reference to FIG. 5.FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating scrolling of the thumbnails of theinformation processing apparatus 100 according to the embodiment.

First, the display control unit 110 determines whether the displayposition of the cursor 10 is located at an end region of the displayscreen. For example, as illustrated in the left drawing of FIG. 5, thedisplay control unit 110 can set end regions in a length direction ofthe display screen including regions from the ends of the display screento position (positions of imaginary lines in the left drawing of FIG. 5)of 10% of the length in the length direction of the display screen, aspredetermined regions and determine whether the display position of thecursor 10 is inside one of the predetermined regions.

Next, when the display control unit 110 determines that the displayposition of the cursor 10 is located in one of the end regions of thedisplay screen, the display control unit 110 performs the scrolling ofthe thumbnails. For example, as illustrated in the right drawing of FIG.5, when the display control unit 110 determines that the displayposition of the cursor 10 is located inside one of the above-describedpredetermined regions, the display control unit 110 moves the displayedthumbnails 1A to 1D in the horizontal direction toward an end of thedisplay screen opposite to the end of the display screen close to thedisplay position of the cursor 10. Then, the display control unit 110moves the thumbnails 1A to 1D and displays the thumbnail 1E adjacent tothe thumbnail 1D while moving the thumbnail 1E.

Thus, the display control unit 110 scrolls the thumbnails when anoperation of placing the cursor 10 at an end region of the displayscreen in the scrolling direction is performed. Therefore, the user canscroll the thumbnails intuitively. The example in which the scrolling isperformed when the display position of the cursor 10 is in the endregion of the display screen has been described above, but the scrollingmay be performed through a drag operation by the touch pad type remotecontroller 200. For example, when the user performs a drag operationwith two of his or her fingers on the touch pad of the touch pad typeremote controller 200, the operation detection unit 104 detects thisoperation and the display control unit 110 performs the scrollingprocess.

The display control unit 110 allows a movement speed of the thumbnail tobe faster when the position of the operation object is a position closerto an end of the display screen in the end region of the display screenin the scrolling direction. For example, the display control unit 110allows the movement speed of the thumbnail to be faster when the displayposition of the cursor 10 illustrated in the left drawing of FIG. 5 is aposition closer to the end of the display screen than the position of10% of the length of the display screen from the end of the displayscreen in the length direction. Therefore, by changing a scrolling speedaccording to the display position of the cursor 10, the user can adjustthe scrolling speed intuitively.

(Thumbnail Selection Process)

When a thumbnail selection operation is performed, the display controlunit 110 ends the display of the thumbnails and switches the display ofthe content being reproduced to content corresponding to the thumbnailsubjected to the selection operation. Specifically, when the operationdetection unit 104 detects a thumbnail selection operation, the displaycontrol unit 110 ends the display of the thumbnails, acquires contentcorresponding to the thumbnail subjected to the selection operation, anddisplays the acquired content. For example, the thumbnail selectionoperation can be a pushing operation on the touch pad or a tappingoperation on the touch pad. The thumbnails can be moved and erased in adirection oriented away from the middle of the screen.

Here, when the configuration of the information processing apparatus 100is described again with reference to FIG. 2, the display unit 112displays the content and the thumbnails corresponding to the contentunder the control of the display control unit 110.

2-2. Process of Information Processing Apparatus According to Embodiment

Next, a process of the information processing apparatus 100 according tothe embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 6. FIG. 6 is aflowchart conceptually illustrating a process of the informationprocessing apparatus 100 according to the embodiment. The repeateddescription of the configuration of the above-described informationprocessing apparatus 100 will be omitted.

First, the display control unit 110 waits until an upward flickingoperation or an operation of pressing a display button is performed(step S402). Specifically, the display control unit 110 waits until theoperation detection unit 104 detects the upward flicking operation orthe operation of pressing the display button based on operationinformation received by the controller communication unit 102.

When the upward flicking operation or the operation of pressing thedisplay button is performed in step S402, the display control unit 110displays thumbnails (step S404). Specifically, when the operationdetection unit 104 detects the upward flicking operation or theoperation of pressing the display button, the display control unit 110causes the display unit 112 to display the thumbnails corresponding to acategory set in initial display.

Next, the display control unit 110 determines whether a return button ispressed (step S406). Specifically, when the operation detection unit 104detects the pressing of the return button, the display control unit 110determines that the return button is pressed.

When the display control unit 110 determines in step S406 that thereturn button is pressed, the display control unit 110 erases thethumbnails (step S408). Specifically, the display control unit 110erases the displayed thumbnails from the display screen and ends thethumbnail display process.

When the display control unit 110 determines in step S406 that thereturn button is not pressed, the display control unit 110 determineswhether a downward flicking operation is performed (step S410).Specifically, when the operation detection unit 104 detects the downwardflicking operation, the display control unit 110 determines that thedownward flicking operation is performed.

When the display control unit 110 determines in step S410 that thedownward flicking operation is performed, the display control unit 110determines whether the category is an uppermost category (step S412).Specifically, the display control unit 110 determines whether thecategory corresponding to the displayed thumbnails is the category setin the initial display. When it is determined in step S412 that thecategory is the uppermost category, the process proceeds to step S408.

When the display control unit 110 determines in step S410 that nodownward flicking operation is performed, the display control unit 110determines whether an upward flicking operation is performed (stepS414). Specifically, when the upward flicking operation is detected, thedisplay control unit 110 determines that the upward flicking operationis performed.

When the display control unit 110 determines in step S414 that theupward flicking operation is performed or determines in step S412 thatthe category is not the uppermost category, the display control unit 110switches the category (step S416). Specifically, the display controlunit 110 switches the displayed thumbnails to thumbnails correspondingto a switching destination category.

When the display control unit 110 determines in step S414 that no upwardflicking operation is performed, the display control unit 110 determineswhether a left dragging operation or a right dragging operation isperformed (step S418). Specifically, when the operation detection unit104 detects a right or left dragging operation, the display control unit110 determines that the right or to left dragging operation isperformed.

When the display control unit 110 determines in step S418 that the leftdragging operation or the right dragging operation is performed, thedisplay control unit 110 determines whether the cursor 10 is located ina predetermined region of an end of the screen (step S420). For example,the display control unit 110 can determine whether the display positionof the cursor 10 is located at an end of the display screen with respectto the position of the display screen stored in advance in a storageunit (not illustrated) included separately in the information processingapparatus 100.

When the display control unit 110 determines in step S420 that thecursor 10 is located in the predetermined region of the end of thescreen, the display control unit 110 scrolls the thumbnails (step S422).Specifically, the display control unit 110 scrolls the thumbnails of thecategory corresponding to the displayed thumbnails.

When the display control unit 110 determines in step S420 that thecursor 10 is not located in the predetermined region of the end of thescreen, the display control unit 110 determines whether the displayposition of the cursor 10 is moved to another thumbnail (step S424).Specifically, the display control unit 110 determines whether thethumbnail closer to the display position of the cursor than the otherthumbnails is different from the thumbnail brought into focus 20.

When the display control unit 110 determines in step S424 that thedisplay position of the cursor 10 is moved to another thumbnail, thedisplay control unit 110 moves the focus 20 (step S426). Specifically,the display control unit 110 changes the thumbnail brought into focus 20to the thumbnail closer to the display position of the cursor 10 thanthe other thumbnails.

After the processes of steps S416, S422, and S426 are performed or whenit is determined in step S418 that the left or right dragging operationis not performed, the process returns to step S406.

Thus, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the thumbnailscorresponding to the content belonging to one category are displayedwhile displaying the content, and the displayed thumbnails are movedaccording to an operation of switching the one category to which thecontent corresponding to the displayed thumbnails belongs. Therefore,since the user can confirm the thumbnails corresponding to the contentaccording to the category without his or her convenience beinginterfered with, the efficient content retrieval is possible. Further,since the thumbnails are moved and the category is switched, it ispossible to provide a comfortable operation to the user.

2-3. Modification Examples of Embodiment

The first embodiment of the present disclosure has been described above.The embodiment is not limited to the above-described example. First toseventh modification examples of the embodiment will be described below.

First Modification Example

The display control unit 110 according to the first modification exampleof the embodiment may display thumbnails so that a user can recognize agroup to which content corresponding to the thumbnails belongs.Specifically, the display control unit 110 displays an object indicatinga group in the periphery of the thumbnails corresponding to the contentbelonging to the group. For example, a group display process will bedescribed with reference to FIG. 7. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustratinggroup display in the information processing apparatus 100 according tothe first modification example of the present embodiment.

First, after the display control unit 110 acquires thumbnails throughthe thumbnail display operation performed by the user, the displaycontrol unit 110 determines a group of the acquired thumbnails. Forexample, the category determination unit 108 determines the categorywith reference to the category information and specifies the contentbelonging to the category “Category 1” illustrated in FIG. 7. Then, thedisplay control unit 110 determines the group to which the specifiedcontent belongs based on group information included in the contentinformation. The group information includes a group name.

Next, the display control unit 110 acquires the thumbnails and the groupname to which the thumbnails belong from the group information andcauses the display unit 112 to display the acquired group name. Forexample, as illustrated in FIG. 7, the display control unit 110 candisplay thumbnails 1A and 1B corresponding to content belonging to agroup “NEW” as a bundle and display the group name “NEW” above thethumbnails 1A and 1B. Further, the display control unit 110 can displaythumbnails 1C and 1D corresponding to content belonging to a group“Recommend” as a bundle and display the group name “Recommend” above thethumbnails 1C and 1D. An object indicating the group may also be, forexample, an image.

Thus, according to the first modification example of the embodiment, thedisplay control unit 110 displays the thumbnails so that the user canrecognize the group to which the content corresponding to the thumbnailsbelongs. Therefore, since the user can visually understand the group towhich the content in the same category belongs, the efficient contentretrieval is possible.

Further, the display control unit 110 displays the group name in theperiphery of the thumbnails corresponding to the content belonging tothe group. Therefore, since the user can understand the details of thegroup, the more efficient content retrieval is possible.

The foregoing group information can be generated by the content server300. For example, the information processing apparatus 100 can recordviewing information corresponding to viewed content and transmit theviewing information to the content server 300. Then, the content server300 can generate the group information based on the viewing informationreceived by the content server 300.

Specifically, the display control unit 110 stores the viewinginformation of the content in a storage unit or the like separatelyincluded in the information processing apparatus 100 and the servercommunication unit 106 transmits the viewing information to the contentserver 300. The viewing information includes, for example, contentinformation of the content currently being viewed or viewing history ofthe content.

The content server 300 analyzes the received viewing information andgenerates the group information of the content. For example, the contentserver 300 can add information indicating that many viewers viewcontent, e.g., a group name “Most Viewed”, to the group information inregard to the content which is determined to be viewed by many viewersat that time as the result obtained by analyzing the plurality of piecesof viewing information. The content server 300 can add informationindicating recommendation, e.g., a group name “Recommend”, to the groupinformation in regard to content which is determined to be a favorite ofviewers based on a viewing history.

The foregoing group information can be generated through a registrationoperation on the content by the user. For example, the informationprocessing apparatus 100 can include a separate registration unit (notillustrated). When the user performs the registration operation on thecontent, the registration unit can register, for example, a group name“Favorite” as group information to the content information of thecontent subjected to the registration operation.

The example in which the display control unit 110 displays the objectindicating the group, e.g., the group name, has been described above.However, the display control unit 110 may not display the object and mayallow a distance between the thumbnails corresponding to differentgroups to be greater than a distance of the thumbnails corresponding tothe same group. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 7, the displaycontrol unit 110 can allow a distance between the thumbnails 1B and 1Ccorresponding to different groups to be greater than a distance betweenthe thumbnails 1A and 1B corresponding to the same group. In this case,since an object such as a group name is not displayed, it is possible toimprove visibility of the content being reproduced.

Second Modification Example

As a second modification example of the embodiment, in addition to theforegoing first modification example, the display control unit 110 mayemphasize display of an object indicating a group to which contentcorresponding to a thumbnail subjected to a selection operation belongswhen the operation detection unit 104 detects the selection operation ofselecting the thumbnail. Specifically, when the operation detection unit104 detects movement of the cursor 10, the display control unit 110specifies a thumbnail closer to the display position of the cursor 10than the other thumbnails and emphasizes display of a group nameindicating a group corresponding to the thumbnail. For example,emphasized display of a group name will be described with reference toFIG. 8. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating emphasized display of a groupname in the information processing apparatus 100 according to the secondmodification example of the present embodiment.

First, the display control unit 110 displays thumbnails and an objectindicating a group corresponding to the thumbnails. For example, asillustrated in FIG. 8, the display control unit 110 displays thethumbnails 1A and 1B corresponding to the group “NEW” and the thumbnails1C and 1D corresponding to the group “Recommend”.

Next, when the operation detection unit 104 detects movement of thecursor 10, the display control unit 110 specifies the thumbnail closerto the display position of the cursor 10 than the other thumbnails andemphasizes the display of the object indicating the group correspondingto the specified thumbnail. For example, when the operation detectionunit 104 detects movement of the cursor 10, as illustrated in FIG. 8,the display control unit 110 moves the display position of the groupname “NEW” of the group corresponding to the thumbnail 1A closer to thedisplay position of the cursor 10 than the other thumbnails in thevertical direction by a predetermined amount. Thus, by moving thedisplay position of the group name in the vertical direction by thepredetermined amount, it is possible to prevent the cursor 10 and thegroup name from overlapping each other. The example in which the displaycontrol unit 110 moves the group name in the vertical direction by thepredetermined amount has been described above. However, the displaycontrol unit 110 may change the group name itself or the size, thecolor, the shape, the luminance, or the like of the group name.

Thus, according to the second modification example of the embodiment,the display control unit 110 emphasizes the display of the objectindicating the group to which the content corresponding to the thumbnailsubjected to the selection operation belongs when the operationdetection unit 104 detects the selection operation of selecting thethumbnail. Therefore, since the user can visually recognize the groupcorresponding to the selected thumbnail easily, it is possible tofurther improve the efficiency of the content retrieval.

Third Modification Example

As a third modification example of the embodiment, when the displaycontrol unit 110 moves thumbnails according to a user's operationdetected by the operation detection unit 104, the display control unit110 may move the succeeding thumbnails later than the earlier movedthumbnails. Specifically, after the display control unit 110 moves thedisplayed thumbnails in the vertical direction with respect to adirection in which the thumbnails are displayed at the time of switchingof a category, the display control unit 110 displays the thumbnailscorresponding to content belonging to a subsequently displayed categorywhile moving the thumbnails in the vertical direction with respect tothe direction in which the thumbnails are displayed. For example, achange in display of thumbnails at the time of switching of a categorywill be described with reference to FIG. 9. FIG. 9 is a diagramillustrating an example of a change in the display of the thumbnails atthe time of switching of a category in the information processingapparatus 100 according to the third modification example of the presentembodiment.

First, when the operation detection unit 104 detects a thumbnail displayoperation, the display control unit 110 displays a category name of acategory set in initial display, and arranges and displays thumbnailscorresponding to the category in one line. For example, as illustratedin the left drawing of the upper end of FIG. 9, the display control unit110 can display the category name “Category 1” of the category set inthe initial display, and arrange and display the thumbnails 1A to 1Dcorresponding to the category in the horizontal direction below thecategory name.

Next, when the operation detection unit 104 detects a category switchingoperation, the display control unit 110 erases the category name and thethumbnails while moving the displayed category name and thumbnails inthe vertical direction with respect to the direction in which thethumbnails are displayed. For example, as illustrated in the middledrawing of the upper end of FIG. 9, when the operation detection unit104 detects the category switching operation, the display control unit110 erases the displayed category name “Category 1” and thumbnails 1A to1D while moving the category name “Category 1” and the thumbnails 1A to1D in the direction oriented toward the middle of the screen. Then, asillustrated in the right drawing of the upper end of FIG. 9, thecategory name “Category 1” and the thumbnails 1A to 1D are erased fromthe display screen. The display control unit 110 can gradually delay amovement speed of the category name and the thumbnails from start to endof the movement. In this case, by erasing the category name and thethumbnails so that aftereffects remain, it is possible to improvecomfort of an operation provided to the user.

Next, the display control unit 110 displays a category name andthumbnails corresponding to a switching destination category whilemoving the category name and the thumbnails in the same direction as themovement direction of the category name and the thumbnails correspondingto the category before the switching. For example, as illustrated in theleft drawing of the lower end of FIG. 9, the display control unit 110displays a category name “Category 2” and thumbnails 2A to 2Ccorresponding to the switching destination category in the directionoriented toward the middle of the screen, after the thumbnails 1A to 1Dcorresponding to the category name “Category 1” before the switching areerased. At the time of the start of the display, the category name canbe displayed to be smaller than the size of the category name displayedat the time of the end of the movement and can be displayed to begradually enlarged according to a movement distance. Then, asillustrated in the right drawing of the lower end of FIG. 9, the displaycontrol unit 110 moves the category name “Category 2” and the thumbnails2A to 2C up to the positions at which the category name and thethumbnails corresponding to the category before the switching aredisplayed.

Thus, according to the third modification example of the embodiment, thedisplay control unit 110 moves the succeeding thumbnails by delaying themovement time with respect to the earlier moved thumbnails when thedisplay control unit 110 moves the thumbnails according to the user'soperation detected by the operation detection unit 104. Therefore, byimpressing upon the user that the thumbnails are moved through theuser's operation, it is possible to improve operability.

After the display control unit 110 moves the displayed thumbnails in thevertical direction with respect to the direction in which the thumbnailsare displayed at the time of switching of the category, the displaycontrol unit 110 displays the thumbnails corresponding to contentbelonging to the subsequently displayed category while moving thethumbnails in the vertical direction with respect to the direction inwhich the thumbnails are displayed. Therefore, since a gap up to thedisplay of the thumbnails or the like corresponding to the switchingdestination category is opened, it is possible to suggest to the userthat the thumbnails displayed before the switching of the category andthe thumbnails displayed after the switching of the category aredifferent thumbnails corresponding to different categories.

Fourth Modification Example

As a fourth modification example of the embodiment, when the operationdetection unit 104 detects a scrolling operation, the display controlunit 110 may move the thumbnails in an opposite direction to a scrollingdirection by delaying the thumbnails in the scrolling direction morethan the thumbnails in the opposite direction to the scrollingdirection. For example, a change in display of the thumbnails at thetime of scrolling will be described with reference to FIG. 10. FIG. 10is a diagram illustrating an example of a change in the display of thethumbnails at the time of scrolling in the information processingapparatus 100 according to the fourth modification example of thepresent embodiment.

First, when the operation detection unit 104 detects movement of thecursor 10, the display control unit 110 determines whether the displayposition of the cursor 10 is located at an end region of the displayscreen. For example, when the operation detection unit 104 detects themovement of the cursor 10, the display control unit 110 acquires thedisplay position of the cursor 10 illustrated in the left drawing of theupper end of FIG. 10 and determines whether the display position of thecursor 10 is at an end of the display screen with respect to a positionof 10% of the length of the display screen in the length direction fromthe end of the display screen.

When the display control unit 110 determines that the display positionof the cursor 10 is located at the end region of the display screen, thedisplay control unit 110 moves the thumbnails in the opposite directionto the scrolling direction while delaying a speed at the time of startof the movement when the thumbnail is the thumbnail displayed at a moredistant position in the scrolling direction. For example, the displaycontrol unit 110 determines that the display position of the cursor 10is located at a right end region of the display screen and moves thethumbnails 1A to 1D by delaying the movement speed in order of thethumbnails 1A to 1D, as illustrated in the middle drawing of the upperend of FIG. 10.

Next, after starting to move the thumbnails, the display control unit110 displays the subsequent thumbnail of the thumbnail closer to the endof the display screen in the scrolling direction than the otherthumbnails in the arrangement order while moving the thumbnail in theopposite direction to the scrolling direction. For example, asillustrated in the right drawing of the upper end of FIG. 10, afterstarting to move the thumbnail 1D closer to the end of the displayscreen in the scrolling direction than the other thumbnails, the displaycontrol unit 110 can display the subsequent thumbnail 1E of thethumbnail 1D while moving the subsequent thumbnail 1E in the oppositedirection to the scrolling direction.

Next, when the operation detection unit 104 detects movement of thecursor 10, the display control unit 110 determines whether the displayposition of the cursor 10 is located at an end region of the displayscreen. For example, when the operation detection unit 104 detects themovement of the cursor 10, the display control unit 110 acquires adisplay position of the cursor 10 illustrated in the left drawing of thelower end of FIG. 10 and determines whether the display position of thecursor 10 is at an end of the display screen with respect to theposition of 10% of the length of the display screen in the lengthdirection from the end of the display screen.

When the display control unit 110 determines that the display positionof the cursor 10 is not located at the end region of the display screen,the display control unit 110 stops the thumbnails in the order of thethumbnails in the opposite direction to the scrolling direction. Forexample, the display control unit 110 can determine that the displayposition of the cursor 10 is not located at the right end region of thedisplay screen and can stop the thumbnail moved up to a stop position inthe order of the thumbnails 1C to 1F, as illustrated in the middledrawing of the lower end of FIG. 10. Then, as illustrated in the leftdrawing of the lower end of FIG. 10, the display control unit 110 canstop the movement of all of the thumbnails and end the scrolling.

Thus, according to the fourth modification example of the embodiment,when the operation detection unit 104 detects the scrolling operation,the display control unit 110 moves the thumbnails in the oppositedirection to the scrolling direction by delaying the thumbnails in thescrolling direction more than the thumbnails in the opposite directionto the scrolling direction. Therefore, by displaying the thumbnails sothat the thumbnail is attracted to the other thumbnails to be moved orstopped, live movement is provided in the scrolling display, and thus itis possible to provide a comfortable operation to the user.

The example in which the display control unit 110 changes the speeds ofthe thumbnails at the time of the start of the movement according to thedisplay positions of the thumbnails has been described. However, thedisplay control unit 110 may change movement start times of thethumbnails according to the display positions of the thumbnails. Forexample, in the left drawing of the upper end of FIG. 10, the displaycontrol unit 110 can move the thumbnails by delaying the movement starttime in the order of the thumbnails 1A to 1D. In this case, by furtherclarifying the delay of the movement of the thumbnail, the user caneasily recognize this animation.

Fifth Modification Example

As a fifth modification example of the embodiment, the display controlunit 110 may display the thumbnails by overshooting the movement of thethumbnails at the time of initial display of the thumbnails.Specifically, after the display control unit 110 displays the thumbnailswhile moving the thumbnails in a direction oriented toward the middle ofthe screen at the time of the initial display of the thumbnails, thedisplay control unit 110 moves the thumbnails in a direction orientedaway from the middle of the screen by a movement amount less than amovement amount in the direction oriented toward the middle of thescreen. For example, a change in display at the time of the initialdisplay of the thumbnails will be described with reference to FIG. 11.FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a change in the displayat the time of initial display of the thumbnails in the informationprocessing apparatus 100 according to the fifth modification example ofthe present embodiment.

First, when the operation detection unit 104 detects a thumbnail displayoperation, the display control unit 110 starts displaying and moving thethumbnails. For example, as illustrated in the left drawing of FIG. 11,when the operation detection unit 104 detects a thumbnail displayoperation, the display control unit 110 displays the category name andthe thumbnails 1A to 1D corresponding to the category “Category 1” setin the initial display while moving the category name and the thumbnails1A to 1D in a direction oriented toward the middle of the screen.

Next, the display control unit 110 continuously moves the thumbnails tomove the thumbnails up to positions a predetermined amount further inthe direction oriented toward the middle of the screen than movement endpositions of the thumbnails. For example, as illustrated in the leftmiddle drawing of FIG. 11, the display control unit 110 continuouslymoves the thumbnails 1A to 1D, passes the movement end positions of thethumbnails, and further moves the thumbnails in the direction orientedtoward the middle of the screen, as illustrated in the right middledrawing of FIG. 11.

Next, the display control unit 110 moves the thumbnails toward themovement end positions of the thumbnails and ends the movement of thethumbnails. For example, as illustrated in the left drawing of FIG. 11,the display control unit 110 can move the thumbnails 1A to 1D toward themovement end positions of the thumbnails in the opposite direction tothe direction oriented toward the middle of the screen and end themovement of the thumbnails.

Thus, according to the fifth modification example of the embodiment,after the display control unit 110 displays the thumbnails while movingthe thumbnails in the direction oriented toward the middle of the screenat the time of the initial display of the thumbnails, the displaycontrol unit 110 moves the thumbnails in the direction oriented awayfrom the middle of the screen by the movement amount less than themovement amount in the direction oriented toward the middle of thescreen. Therefore, since the thumbnails are displayed to protrude on thedisplay screen, it is possible to provide a comfortable operation to theuser.

Sixth Modification Example

As a sixth modification example of the embodiment, in addition to theforegoing fifth modification example, the display control unit 110 maydisplay parts of the thumbnails displayed by switching a categorycorresponding to the thumbnails when the display control unit 110overshoots the movement of the thumbnails. Specifically, when thedisplay control unit 110 displays the thumbnails while moving thethumbnails in the direction oriented toward the middle of the screen atthe time of the initial display of the thumbnails, the display controlunit 110 temporarily displays the parts of the thumbnails correspondingto content belonging to a category displayed by switching the firstcategory after the initial display. For example, a change in the displayat the time of the initial display of the thumbnails will be describedwith reference to FIG. 12. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating anotherexample of a change in the display at the time of the initial display ofthe thumbnails in the information processing apparatus 100 according tothe sixth modification example of the present embodiment.

First, when the operation detection unit 104 detects a thumbnail displayoperation, the display control unit 110 starts display and movement ofthe thumbnails. Since the details are substantially the same as those ofthe fifth modification example, the description will be omitted.

Next, the display control unit 110 continuously moves the thumbnails tomove the thumbnails up to positions a predetermined amount further inthe direction oriented toward the middle of the screen than the movementend positions of the thumbnails. Here, the display control unit 110moves the thumbnails in the direction oriented toward the middle of thescreen more than the movement end positions of the thumbnails anddisplays the parts of the thumbnails while moving the parts of thethumbnails displayed by switching the category corresponding to thethumbnails. For example, as illustrated in the left middle drawing ofFIG. 12, the display control unit 110 can continuously move thethumbnails 1A to 1D past the movement end positions of the thumbnails.Then, as illustrated in the right middle drawing of FIG. 12, the displaycontrol unit 110 can move the thumbnails 1A to 1D further in thedirection oriented toward the middle of the screen and can display theparts of the thumbnails 2A to 2C corresponding to the category displayedby switching the category, while moving the parts of the thumbnails 2Ato 2C.

Next, the display control unit 110 moves the thumbnails toward themovement end positions of the thumbnails, moves the thumbnails displayedby switching the category in the same direction to erase the thumbnailsfrom the display screen, and ends the movement of the thumbnails. Forexample, as illustrated in the left drawing of FIG. 12, the displaycontrol unit 110 can move the thumbnails 1A to 1D toward the movementend positions of the thumbnails located in the opposite direction to thedirection oriented toward the middle of the screen, move the thumbnails2A to 2D in the same direction to erase the thumbnails 2A to 2D from thedisplay screen, and end the movement of the thumbnails.

Thus, according to the sixth modification example of the embodiment,when the display control unit 110 displays the thumbnails while movingthe thumbnails in the direction oriented toward the middle of the screenat the time of the initial display of the thumbnails, the displaycontrol unit 110 temporarily displays the parts of the thumbnailscorresponding to the content belonging to the category displayed byswitching the first category after the initial display. Therefore, it ispossible to show the user that there are the thumbnails corresponding tothe category displayed by switching the category.

Seventh Modification Example

As a seventh modification example of the embodiment, the display controlunit 110 may display a list of categories and change the displayedthumbnails to the thumbnails corresponding to a category selected fromthe list. Specifically, when the operation detection unit 104 detects anoperation of displaying the list of the categories, the display controlunit 110 displays the list of the categories. When the operationdetection unit 104 detects an operation of selecting a category, thedisplay control unit 110 displays thumbnails corresponding to thecategory subjected to the selection operation. For example, a change inthe display of the thumbnails through the selection of the list of thecategory will be described with reference to FIG. 13. FIG. 13 is adiagram illustrating an example of a change in the display of thethumbnails through the selection of the list of the categories in theinformation processing apparatus 100 according to the seventhmodification example of the present embodiment.

First, when the operation detection unit 104 detects a thumbnail displayoperation, the display control unit 110 displays a category name of thecategory set in the initial display, and arranges and displays thethumbnails corresponding to the category in one direction. For example,as illustrated in the left drawing of the upper end of FIG. 13, thedisplay control unit 110 can display the category name “Category 1” ofthe category set in the initial display and can arrange and display thethumbnails 1A to 1D corresponding to the category in the horizontaldirection below the category name.

Next, when the operation detection unit 104 detects an operation ofselecting the category name, the display control unit 110 displays thelist of the categories. For example, as illustrated in the middledrawing of the upper end of FIG. 13, when the operation detection unit104 detects an operation of selecting the category name “Category 1”,the display control unit 110 displays the list of the categories so thatthe list of the categories overlaps the thumbnails and the content beingreproduced. The example in which the operation of displaying the list ofthe categories is the operation of selecting the category name has beendescribed above. However, the operation of displaying the list of thecategories may be an operation of pressing a category switch button orthe like. When the operation of selecting the category name is cancelledor the operation of selecting the category, as will be described below,is not performed for a predetermined time, the display control unit 110may end the overlapping display of the list of the categories.

Next, when the operation detection unit 104 detects the operation ofselecting the category from the list of the categories, the displaycontrol unit 110 switches the category. For example, when the operationdetection unit 104 detects an operation of selecting the category“Category 2” illustrated in the middle drawing of the upper end of FIG.13 from the list of the categories, the display control unit 110 startsa category switching process. Then, as illustrated in the right drawingof the upper end of FIG. 13, the display control unit 110 can erase thethumbnails 1A to 1D from the display screen, as illustrated in the leftdrawing of the lower end of FIG. 13, by gradually erasing the thumbnails1A to 1D and the category name corresponding to the category “Category1” before the switching while moving the thumbnails 1A to 1D and thecategory name. Thereafter, as illustrated in the middle drawing and theleft drawing of the lower end of FIG. 13, the display control unit 110can display the thumbnails 2A to 2C and the category name correspondingto the switching destination category “Category 2” while moving thethumbnails 2A to 2C.

Thus, according to the seventh modification example of the embodiment,the display control unit 110 displays the list of the categories andchanges the displayed thumbnails to the thumbnails corresponding to thecategory selected from the list of the categories. Therefore, the userdisplays the thumbnails corresponding to a desired category withoutperforming the category switching operation, and thus it is possible toimprove convenience of an operation.

3. HARDWARE CONFIGURATION OF INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS ACCORDINGTO EMBODIMENT OF PRESENT DISCLOSURE

The embodiments of the present disclosure have been explained above. Theprocessing in the information processing apparatus 100 is achieved byoperating cooperatively software and hardware of the informationprocessing apparatus 100 described below.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing a hardware configuration ofthe information processing apparatus 100 according to an embodiment ofthe present disclosure. As illustrated in FIG. 14, the informationprocessing apparatus 100 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 132,read only memory (ROM) 134, random access memory (RAM) 136, a bridge138, a bus 140, an interface 142, an input unit 144, an output unit 146,a storage unit 148, a drive 150, a connection port 152, and acommunication unit 154.

The CPU 132 functions as an arithmetic processing unit and a controlunit, and achieves the operations of the operation detection unit 104,the category determination unit 108, and the display control unit 110 inthe information processing apparatus 100 by operating cooperatively withdiverse programs. The CPU 132 may be a microprocessor. The ROM 134stores a program, a calculation parameter, and the like used by the CPU132. The RAM 136 transiently stores programs used when the CPU 132 isexecuted, and various parameters that change as appropriate whenexecuting such programs. The ROM 134 and the RAM 136 achieves a part ofthe storage unit in the information processing apparatus 100. The CPU132, the ROM 134, and the RAM 136 are connected to each other via aninternal bus configured of a CPU bus or the like.

The input unit 144 includes: an input mechanism used by the user forimputing information, such as a mouse, a keyboard, a touch screen, abutton, a microphone, a switch, or a lever; an input control circuitconfigured to generate an input signal based on user input and to outputthe signal to the CPU 132; and the like. By operating the input unit144, the user of the information processing apparatus 100 can inputvarious data into the information processing apparatus 100 and instructthe information processing apparatus 100 to perform a processingoperation.

As an example of the display unit 112 of the information processingapparatus 100, the output unit 146 performs output to a liquid crystaldisplay (LCD) device, an organic light emitting diode (OLED) device, ora lamp. Further, the output unit 146 may perform sound output to aspeaker or headphones.

The storage unit 148 is a unit for data storage. The storage unit 148may include a storage medium, a recording device which records data in astorage medium, a reader device which reads data from a storage medium,a deletion device which deletes data recorded in a storage medium, andthe like. The storage unit 148 stores therein the programs executed bythe CPU 132 and various data.

The drive 150 is a reader/writer for a recording medium, and isincorporated in or externally attached to the information processingapparatus 100. The drive 150 reads information recorded on a removablerecording medium that is mounted such as a magnetic disk, an opticaldisc, a magneto-optical disk, or semiconductor memory, and outputs theinformation to the RAM 134. The drive 150 also writes information to theremovable recording medium.

The connection port 152 is a bus for connecting with peripheralequipment or an information processing apparatus external to theinformation processing apparatus 100, for example. The connection port152 may be a universal serial bus (USB).

The communication unit 154 is an example of the controller communicationunit 102 and the server communication unit 106 of the informationprocessing apparatus 100 and is an example of the for example, acommunication interface including a communication device for connectionto a network. Further, the communication unit 154 may be a devicecorresponding to infrared communication, a communication devicecorresponding to a wireless local area network (LAN), a communicationdevice corresponding to long term evolution (LTE), or a wirecommunication device that performs wired communication.

4. CONCLUSION

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, since the user canconfirm the thumbnails corresponding to the content according to thecategory without his or her convenience being interfered with, theefficient content retrieval is possible. Further, since the thumbnailsare moved and the category is switched, it is possible to provide acomfortable operation to the user.

The preferred embodiments of the present disclosure have been describedin detail with reference to the appended drawings, but the technicalscope of the present disclosure is not limited to the examples. Itshould be understood by those skilled in the art that variousmodifications, combinations, sub-combinations and alterations may occurdepending on design requirements and other factors insofar as they arewithin the scope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof.

For example, in the foregoing embodiment, the display control unit 110displays the thumbnails corresponding to the content belonging to onecategory so that the thumbnails are superimposed on the content beingreproduced, but an embodiment of the present disclosure is not limitedto this example. For example, the display control unit 110 may reducethe display region of the content being reproduced to a size which doesnot overlap the display region of the thumbnails. Therefore, it ispossible to display the thumbnails without interfering with the displayof the content being reproduced.

In the foregoing embodiment, the example in which the display controlunit 110 arranges and displays the thumbnails in one line in onedirection has been described, but the display control unit 110 mayfurther reduce the thumbnails than in the case of the one-line displayand arrange and display the thumbnails in a plurality of lines. In thiscase, by increasing the number of displayed thumbnails withoutinterfering with the display of the content being reproduced, it ispossible to improve efficiency of content retrieval.

The advantageous effects described in the present specification aremerely descriptive and exemplary, and thus are not restrictive. That is,according to an embodiment of the technology related to the presentdisclosure, it is possible to obtain other advantageous effects apparentthose skilled in the art along with the foregoing advantageous effectsor instead of the foregoing advantageous effects from the description ofthe present specification.

Additionally, the present technology may also be configured as below.

(1) An information processing apparatus including:

-   -   an operation detection unit configured to detect a user's        operation; and    -   a display control unit configured to display content in a part        including a middle of a display screen and display thumbnails        corresponding to content belonging to one category in one        direction along one side of the display screen in a region        located separately from the middle of the display screen,    -   wherein the display control unit moves the displayed thumbnails        in a vertical direction with respect to the one direction        according to an operation which is detected by the operation        detection unit and is an operation of switching the one category        to which the content corresponding to the displayed thumbnails        belongs.

(2) The information processing apparatus according to (1), wherein theregion is a region smaller than a display region of the contentdisplayed on the display screen.

(3) The information processing apparatus according to (2), wherein thedisplay control unit displays the thumbnails in a manner that a userrecognizes a group to which the content corresponding to the thumbnailsbelongs.

(4) The information processing apparatus according to (3), wherein thedisplay control unit displays an object indicating the group in aperiphery of the thumbnails corresponding to the content belonging tothe group.

(5) The information processing apparatus according to (4), wherein, whenthe operation detection unit detects a selection operation of selectingthe thumbnail, the display control unit emphasizes display of the objectindicating the group to which the content corresponding to the thumbnailsubjected to the selection operation belongs.

(6) The information processing apparatus according to any one of (2) to(5), wherein the display control unit moves the thumbnails according toa user's operation detected by the operation detection unit and movesthe succeeding thumbnails later with respect to the earlier movedthumbnails.

(7) The information processing apparatus according to (6), wherein,after the display control unit moves the displayed thumbnails in thevertical direction with respect to the one direction when the onecategory is switched, the display control unit displays thumbnailscorresponding to content belonging to a subsequently displayed categorywhile moving the thumbnails in the vertical direction with respect tothe one direction.

(8) The information processing apparatus according to (6) or (7),wherein, when the operation detection unit detects a scrollingoperation, the display control unit moves the thumbnails in an oppositedirection to a scrolling direction by delaying the thumbnails in thescrolling direction more than the thumbnails in the opposite directionto the scrolling direction.

(9) The information processing apparatus according to (8), wherein thescrolling operation is an operation of placing an operation object in anend region of the display screen in the scrolling direction.

(10) The information processing apparatus according to (9), wherein thedisplay control unit allows a movement speed of the thumbnail to befaster when a position of the operation object is a position closer toan end of the display screen in the end region of the display screen inthe scrolling direction.

(11) The information processing apparatus according to any one of (2) to(10), wherein, after the display control unit displays the thumbnailswhile moving the thumbnails in a direction oriented toward the middle ofthe screen at a time of initial display of the thumbnails, the displaycontrol unit moves the thumbnails in a direction oriented away from themiddle of the screen by a movement amount less than a movement amount inthe direction oriented toward the middle of the screen.

(12) The information processing apparatus according to (11), wherein,when the display control unit displays the thumbnails while moving thethumbnails in the direction oriented toward the middle of the screen atthe time of the initial display of the thumbnails, the display controlunit temporarily displays parts of thumbnails corresponding to contentbelonging to a category displayed by switching a first category afterthe initial display.

(13) The information processing apparatus according to any one of (2) to(12), wherein the display control unit brings the thumbnail into focuscloser to a position of an operation object than the other thumbnails.

(14) The information processing apparatus according to any one of (2) to(12), wherein, when a movement amount of an operator detected by theoperation detection unit exceeds a predetermined amount, the displaycontrol unit brings the thumbnail into focus adjacent to the thumbnailbrought into focus in a movement direction of the operator.

(15) The information processing apparatus according to any one of (1) to(14),

-   -   wherein the display control unit displays a list of categories,        and    -   wherein, when the operation detection unit detects a category        selection operation, the display control unit displays        thumbnails corresponding to content belonging to the category        subjected to the selection operation.

(16) The information processing apparatus according to any one of (1) to(15), wherein the display control unit displays the thumbnails in amanner that the thumbnails overlap the displayed content.

(17) An information processing method including:

-   -   detecting a user's operation;    -   displaying content in a part including a middle of a display        screen;    -   displaying thumbnails corresponding to content belonging to one        category in one direction along one side of the display screen        in a region located separately from the middle of the display        screen; and    -   moving the displayed thumbnails in a vertical direction with        respect to the one direction according to a detected operation        of switching the one category to which the content corresponding        to the displayed thumbnails belongs.

(18) A program causing a computer to realize:

-   -   an operation detection function of detecting a user's operation;        and    -   a display control function of displaying content in a part        including a middle of a display screen, displaying thumbnails        corresponding to content belonging to one category in one        direction along one side of the display screen in a region        located separately from the middle of the display screen, and        moving the displayed thumbnails in a vertical direction with        respect to the one direction according to an operation which is        detected by the operation detection function and is an operation        of switching the one category to which the content corresponding        to the displayed thumbnails belongs.

The invention claimed is:
 1. An information processing apparatuscomprising: a controller communication unit configured to receive anelectronic wireless signal conveying operation information; and aprocessor configured to control detection of a user's operation based onthe operation information, output of first thumbnails corresponding tocontent belonging to a first category and second thumbnailscorresponding to content belonging to a second category for display inone direction along one side of a display screen in a manner that thefirst thumbnails and the second thumbnails overlap a content output onthe display screen, output of the first thumbnails for display in amanner that the user can recognize a group to which the contentcorresponding to the first thumbnails belongs based on contentinformation, output of an indicator of the group for display within aperiphery of the first thumbnails, and movement of the first thumbnailsand the second thumbnails according to the user's operation whichindicates switching from the first category to the second category. 2.The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, furthercomprising a server communication unit configured to acquire the contentinformation from a server.
 3. The information processing apparatusaccording to claim 2, wherein the content information comprisesthumbnails and group information for grouping the thumbnails, andwherein the processor is configured to control output of the firstthumbnails for display in a manner that the user can recognize a groupto which the content corresponding to the first thumbnails belongs basedon the group information.
 4. The information processing apparatusaccording to claim 1, wherein the indicator of the group comprises text.5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, whereinthe control of output of the second thumbnails by the processorcomprises control of output of only a portion of the second thumbnails.6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, whereinthe control of movement of the first thumbnails and the secondthumbnails by the processor comprises control of movement of the firstthumbnails and the second thumbnails in a direction that isperpendicular, or substantially perpendicular, to the one direction. 7.The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein theprocessor is further configured to output at least one categoryindicator.
 8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7,wherein the category indicator comprises a category name.
 9. Theinformation processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein theprocessor is configured to control output of the first thumbnails fordisplay in a manner that the user can recognize at least two groups towhich the content corresponding to the first thumbnails belongs based oncontent information, and to control output of an indicator of each groupfor display within a periphery of the first thumbnails.
 10. Aninformation processing method comprising: receiving an electronicwireless signal conveying operation information; detecting a user'soperation based on the operation information; outputting firstthumbnails corresponding to content belonging to a first category andsecond thumbnails corresponding to content belonging to a secondcategory for display in one direction along one side of a display screenin a manner that the first thumbnails and the second thumbnails overlapa content output on the display screen, wherein the first thumbnails areoutput for display in a manner that the user can recognize a group towhich the content corresponding to the first thumbnails belongs based oncontent information; outputting, for display within a periphery of thefirst thumbnails, an indicator of the group; and moving the firstthumbnails and the second thumbnails according to the user's operationwhich indicates switching from the first category to the secondcategory.
 11. The information processing method according to claim 10,further comprising acquiring the content information from a server. 12.The information processing method according to claim 11, wherein thecontent information comprises thumbnails and group information forgrouping the thumbnails, and wherein the first thumbnails are output fordisplay in a manner that the user can recognize a group to which thecontent corresponding to the first thumbnails belongs based on the groupinformation.
 13. The information processing method according to claim10, wherein the indicator of the group comprises text.
 14. Theinformation processing method according to claim 10, wherein outputtingthe second thumbnails comprises outputting only a portion of the secondthumbnails.
 15. The information processing method according to claim 10,wherein moving the first thumbnails and the second thumbnails comprisesmoving the first thumbnails and the second thumbnails in a directionthat is perpendicular, or substantially perpendicular, to the onedirection.
 16. The information processing method according to claim 10,further comprising outputting at least one category indicator.
 17. Theinformation processing method according to claim 16, wherein thecategory indicator comprises a category name.
 18. The informationprocessing method according to claim 10, wherein the first thumbnailsare output for display in a manner that the user can recognize at leasttwo groups to which the content corresponding to the first thumbnailsbelongs based on content information, and wherein the step ofoutputting, for display comprises outputting, for display within aperiphery of the first thumbnails, an indicator of each group.
 19. Anon-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon a programcausing a computer to realize: an operation detection functioncomprising detecting a user's operation; and a display control functioncomprising controlling output of first thumbnails corresponding tocontent belonging to a first category and second thumbnailscorresponding to content belonging to a second category for display inone direction along one side of a display screen in a manner that thefirst thumbnails and the second thumbnails overlap a content output onthe display screen, wherein the first thumbnails are output for displayin a manner that the user can recognize a group to which the contentcorresponding to the first thumbnails belongs based on contentinformation, controlling output of an indicator of the group for displaywithin a periphery of the first thumbnails, and controlling movement ofthe first thumbnails and the second thumbnails according to the user'soperation which indicates switching from the first category to thesecond category.
 20. The medium according to claim 19, wherein theprogram further causes the computer to realize a content acquiringfunction comprising acquiring the content information from a server. 21.The medium according to claim 20, wherein the content informationcomprises thumbnails and group information for grouping the thumbnails,and wherein the first thumbnails are output for display in a manner thatthe user can recognize a group to which the content corresponding to thefirst thumbnails belongs based on the group information.
 22. The mediumaccording to claim 19, wherein the indicator of the group comprisestext.
 23. The medium according to claim 19, wherein controlling outputof the second thumbnails comprises controlling output of only a portionof the second thumbnails.
 24. The medium according to claim 19, whereincontrolling movement of the first thumbnails and the second thumbnailscomprises controlling movement of the first thumbnails and the secondthumbnails in a direction that is perpendicular, or substantiallyperpendicular, to the one direction.
 25. The medium according to claim19, wherein the display control function further comprises controllingoutput of at least one category indicator.
 26. The medium according toclaim 25, wherein the category indicator comprises a category name. 27.The medium according to claim 19, wherein the first thumbnails areoutput for display in a manner that the user can recognize at least twogroups to which the content corresponding to the first thumbnailsbelongs based on content information, and wherein the display controlfunction comprises controlling output of an indicator of each group fordisplay within a periphery of the first thumbnails.